12 flood insurance claims·$120,593 paid·6 federal flood & hurricane disasters
Share of the whole county outline, rivers and lakes included; parts FEMA hasn’t mapped count as zero.
Shaded areas are FEMA’s mapped flood hazard zones in and around Newton County, Mississippi. Zoomed out they are simplified; at street level the map switches to FEMA’s exact layer. Tap anywhere to check that spot, or search an address above.
Flash flooding from severe storms dominates the flood risk in Newton County, accounting for 58 of the 66 recorded flood events over the last 30 years, alongside occasional tropical storms and hurricanes. Recent events illustrate this pattern, including severe thunderstorms that developed overnight and moved across the area on March 15, 2025, as well as training heavy thunderstorms that produced flash flooding along the Interstate 20 corridor on March 8, 2024.
National Flood Insurance Program claims data shows payouts across multiple zones. Zone A properties recorded 4 claims with an average payout of $18,421 and an average recorded water depth of 7 inches. Zone UNKNOWN recorded 4 claims with an average payout of $9,431 and an average water depth of 3 inches. Unshaded Zone X properties recorded 3 claims averaging $12,402 with an average water depth of 5 inches, while Zone X recorded 1 claim with an average payout of $2,801 and an average water depth of 33 inches.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the most attention to properties in Zone A and unshaded Zone X areas, which have experienced repeat claims and notable water depths during heavy rainfall events.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
In flood insurance claims here that reported a flood depth, the average was 8 inches.
Drawn to scale against an 80-inch door. Even a few inches soaks flooring, the bottom of the drywall and anything plugged in near the floor.
Average of the depths reported on claims (zero and implausible values left out); FEMA’s record doesn’t say exactly where each depth was measured. Source: OpenFEMA NFIP claims.
The worst year was 1979, with 3 claims and $62,850 paid, the year of Storms, Tornadoes, Floods.
Bar height is scaled by square root so ordinary years stay visible next to the worst one. NFIP claims by year of loss. Source: OpenFEMA.
26 NOAA storm reports from Newton County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Mississippi flood stories →
24 federal disaster declarations since 1974, 6 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 23, 2026 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, And Tornadoes. | Jun 14, 2023 |
| Hurricane Ida | Aug 28, 2021 |
| Severe Winter Storms | Feb 11, 2021 |
| Severe Storm, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Oct 26, 2019 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, And Tornado | Dec 27, 2018 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Apr 28, 2014 |
| Hurricane Isaac | Aug 26, 2012 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
66 since 1996: 58 flash floods and 2 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Mar 15, 2025 | $1,000 |
| Flash Flood | Mar 8, 2024 | $2,000 |
| Flash Flood | Mar 8, 2024 | $1,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 19, 2023 | $35,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 24, 2022 | $2,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 24, 2022 | $1,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 24, 2022 | $20,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 24, 2022 | $25,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Mar 15, 2025. Isolated severe thunderstorms developed across portions of Mississippi in the overnight hours of March 14th. Coverage of severe storms increased into the morning of the 15th before a squall line developed and moved across the area.
Flash Flood · Mar 8, 2024. Training of heavy thunderstorms produced flash flooding across central Mississippi and the Interstate 20 corridor.
Flash Flood · Jun 19, 2023. An upper-level shortwave trough moving east through the Central Plains initiated a few clusters of thunderstorms that spread into Mississippi during the morning of June 18th. With an unstable air mass and strong jet stream over the region, these storms became severe and produced hail and damaging wind through the morning. An additional round of severe storms developed during the evening of the 18th and into the mo…
Flash Flood · Aug 24, 2022. A low pressure system spinning over northern Louisiana and southern Arkansas brought several rounds of showers and thunderstorms producing heavy rain to Mississippi August 24th through 25th. This resulted in widespread flooding of roads, homes, and businesses around the state.
National Weather Service narratives, lightly trimmed. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Every colour on the map above is a place on this drawing: where the ground sits relative to the flood FEMA plans for.
If a building in Newton County is in a high-risk zone (A or V) and its mortgage comes from a federally regulated or insured lender, or is federally backed, flood insurance is required.
Outside those zones it is optional, and often worth having: from 2014 to 2024 nearly one-third of NFIP claims came from outside the high-risk Special Flood Hazard Area. Since Risk Rating 2.0, NFIP premiums are set for each building, so the only reliable price is a quote: FloodSmart.gov or a local agent.